Smaller government, political division: Wyoming voters speak their mind

It's primary day in Wyoming, and voters are heading to the polls to decide which Republican candidates running for federal and state races will head to the general election in November. While there are Democrats in the state, the only contested races are Republican .

Common themes emerged when talking with voters in Cheyenne, the state's capital, including a strong dislike of big government, a desire for personal freedoms, and concerns about people coming in from out-of-state.

Republican voter Brad Curio expressed disappointment with the options on his ballot, wishing for more conservative candidates. As a former Californian, he views Wyoming as moving towards a smaller government, yet he remains frustrated with its political landscape.

"I think it's still a lot of the good old boy's system: you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back. They're too involved in social stuff," Corio said. "Government needs to take care of the roads, take care of the schools, not worry about what sex who is or what bathroom somebody's using."

Corio's desire for small government was echoed by Ruth Bole, who spoke with USA TODAY outside of Laramie Community College and said she factors in small government and personal liberties when looking at candidates.

"I shouldn't have to give up my rights so that somebody else who has a lifestyle I don't agree with has freedom. You can be accountable for you. I can be accountable for me," Bole said.

Bole's emphasis on individual choices was reiterated by couple John and Linda Hippe, who stated that they pay close attention to personal liberties, most importantly gun rights, when deciding who to vote for. The Hippes are worried that the new residents are turning Wyoming away from these values. When asked about their biggest concerns for the state's future, the Hippes spoke plainly.

"Out-of-state people coming in and changing things," John said.

Linda continued John's sentiment, saying, "They left this horrible state, so they come to our state and try to change it to what they had there. Why don't you just stay there?"

Other voters agreed that Wyoming is changing in ways that concern them, but they cited different examples.

Seth Bard, who works on his brother Matt Malcom's state house campaign, shared his concerns about people intertwining personal identity with politics and the "vicious" tendencies this brings out in local politics.

"My biggest worry for Wyoming is people here thinking that they're represented by local interests, but it's actually these enormous out-of-state donors who are making the decisions and putting people into place for their own benefit," Bard said. "That people will be so blinded by this tribalism and pick-your-team that they won't realize they're losing out."

The win-at-any-cost ethos that troubles Bard also leaves Jaye Wacker uneasy. Wacker spoke about the deluge of campaign mailers , often containing misinformation , that he received this season, saying that the departure from truth did not bode well for the Cowboy State.

"The campaign literature is more than happy to lie ... We had so many mailers this year that just were sleaze," said Jaye Wacker. "We've never had this many, and never had them be this dishonest before."

Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Smaller government, political division: Wyoming voters speak their mind